Oregon Ducks

Oregon Ducks vs USC Trojans: Three Things I'll Be Watching

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the Oregon Ducks win last weekend against Arizona State there are several factors to watch this week against USC.

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The Oregon Ducks football team has put themselves in quite the hole and the dig out has officially started. Last weekend Mark Helfrich watched Quarterback Justin Herbert have another good game and the Ducks Defense showed they can step up to the plate in big moments with two key interceptions. The National Championship is not in the cards this season, but there is still plenty to watch for. The Ducks will play three of their final four regular season games on the road starting with USC on Saturday.

The Trojans season did not start well but USC has won four of their last five It has been the opposite for Oregon losing four of their last five and picking up their first Pac-12 Conference win last weekend against Arizona State. The big question for Oregon is can the team put together a complete game on the road against a tough Defense giving up just 24 points per game and which Royce Freeman will show up?

Oct 29, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Jimmie Swain (18) and linebacker Troy Dye (35) and wide receiver Brenden Schooler (43) react to an interception during second quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports

Two faces for the Oregon Ducks Defense have stepped up their play. Troy Dye and Brendan Schooler had their names called multiple times against Arizona State. Dye was all over the field against ASU and has been for a good part of the season. Schooler has also played big this season and Oregon will need both to play well in Los Angeles.

Up front there have been injurues, but it appears that Jalen Jelks should be back on the field which should help Oregon get a push up front against USC. The Trojans will look to defend Quarterback Sam Darnold. Oregon will look to get the Freshman Quarterback. Oregon and USC come into the game with youth at the Signal Caller. The team that protects better up front will be the team that likely wins the game.

Defensively, USC has been more stubborn this season giving up just 25 points per game with Oregon still above 40 per game.

Oct 29, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) carries past Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman JoJo Wicker (1) and Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Tashon Smallwood (90) during the first quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports

This season has not quite been the Heisman Season that Oregon hoped for Running Back Royce Freeman. The Oregon Junior started the season healthy, but on the first series against Nebraska fell off the map for the Heisman. He has been unable to get much going the last month and the Ducks don’t talk about injuries.

In watching Freeman he can’t get the second burst we’re all used to seeing and it appears that the Bye Week did not help. He did have a touchdown in the closing moments against Arizona State, but was held to just 10 total yards the previous week on the road against the California Golden Bears.

The last two weeks in practice Offensive Coordinator Matt Lubick said Freeman appeared healthy and back to himself completing long runs downfield. The first few series will be worth watching to see which Royce Freeman plays. Tony Brooks James has spelled Freeman the last month and also picked up yardage in his place. The Oregon Running Back Corps is still one of the strongest aspects of this team.

Over the last few weeks we have watched Charles Nelson get yardage, but not break a long run – that could change on Saturday. Nelson is a key weapon for Oregon both as a Wide Receiver and on Special Teams. It also seems that Head Coach Mark Helfrich has learned his lesson when it comes to points. You take them where you can.

Against Arizona State the Ducks connected on four field goals. Aiden Schneider has been the most accurate kicker in Oregon Ducks history hitting over 90 percent of his attempts. If the game comes down to a long field goal for the win, I would be willing to put my eggs in the Ducks’ basket.

Both teams still have a lot to play for. USC needs a win for Bowl Eligibility while Oregon needs a win to build on and three wins in their final four games to get to a Bowl Game.

Oregon and USC kickoff Saturday at 4pm Pacific Time on ESPN.

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